By: Dori Saltzman
Updated January 8, 2020
Easygoing cruise line with few bells and whistles and a respect for cruise traditions like main dining rooms and live music; aims to put cruisers in a relaxed and rejuvenated state of mind
Casual cruise line designed around a "freestyle" concept of doing what you want, when you want, including no set dining times, but with more for-fee options than most other cruise lines
Fleet size, ship sizes and ages
Princess Cruises
- 18 ships, three built before 2000
- Smallest: Pacific Princess (672 passengers)
- Largest: Sky Princess (3,660 passengers), Royal Princess, Regal Princess and Majestic Princess (all with 3,560 passengers)
- Oldest: Sun Princess (1995), Sea and Grand Princess (both 1998)
Norwegian Cruise Line
- 16 ships (17 by end of 2019); two built before 2000
- Smallest: Norwegian Sun (1,936 passengers) and Norwegian Sky (2,004 passengers)
- Largest: Norwegian Escape (4,248 passengers), Norwegian Epic (4,100 passengers), Norwegian Bliss (4,004 passengers)
- Oldest: Norwegian Spirit (1998), Norwegian Sky (1999)
Pricing
Princess Cruises
- Pricing is in line with industry averages, but sales are offered frequently
- Cruise fares include almost one-half of the alternative dining venues on all ships
- Pricing includes all theater entertainment
Norwegian Cruise Line
- Prices are generally similar to industry averages (sometimes a tad lower), but the line is known for nickel-and-diming onboard
- Cruise fare includes less than half of the restaurants offered onboard
- Unlike most cruise ships where for-fee restaurants carry a cover charge, all for-fee eateries, minus two, are a la carte (priced per item)
- All entertainment included (except for lunch and dinner shows, plus alcohol-included special experiences such as Prohibition, the Musical, all of which are only available on select ships)
- Offers all-inclusive fares onboard short sailings of two ship in its fleet (Norwegian Sky, Norwegian Sun) that include all soft and alcoholic drinks
Demographics
Princess Cruises
View Princess Cruises Roll Calls
- Caribbean and Alaska sailings draw families, couples and groups of friends in most age brackets
- Exotic itineraries (primarily offered on Diamond Princess, Sun Princess and Pacific Princess) pull in a 55-plus crowd
Norwegian Cruise Line
- Popular with families and couples, ages 35 to 65
- Larger number of solo cruisers on ships that feature Studio rooms (Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Bliss)
Itineraries/Destinations/Homeports
Princess Cruises
View Princess Cruises Itineraries
- Cruises out of seven North American mainland ports, depending on season, with no ships staying at a single port year-round
- Sails Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexico and Hawaii itineraries from the U.S.
- Offers one of the strongest Alaska cruise (with optional land) program in the industry
- Sails Europe cruises three-quarters of the year, including Northern Europe, Mediterranean and Baltic itineraries from several European ports
- Operates world cruises
- Has ships sailing in Australia and Asia year-round
- Exotic cruises include South Pacific, Asia, India, Australia/New Zealand, South America and Africa sailings
Norwegian Cruise Line
- Sails from 12 ports on the North American mainland, plus Puerto Rico on a regular basis, if not year-round
- Offers Caribbean, Bahamas, Bermuda, Mexico and Alaska itineraries
- Offers seasonal Mediterranean and Northern Europe itineraries
- Only major cruise line to sail year-round all-Hawaiian island cruises departing from Hawaii
- Exotic itineraries include South America, as well as Asia, Australia, India and the Arabian Gulf
Cabins
Princess Cruises
- Large selection of room categories to choose from
- Distinctive room options include oceanview suites, plus mini-suites without a balcony (select ships only)
- Extensive suite perk program including a complimentary dinner at an alternative restaurant on the first night, priority embarkation/debarkation, butler service, free laundry and access to the Club Class dining room or a Club Class section of the main dining room (depending on ship) for dinner each night, plus daily breakfast and lunch on sea days
- Limited family room choices include regular rooms with connecting doors, as well as family suites with full baths on select ships
Norwegian Cruise Line
- Cabin sizes are comparable to industry standards, though balconies on the Breakaway-class ships are notably small
- Large selection of room types, even on the line's older ships
- Six ships offer Studio cabins, which are inside cabins sized and priced for solo cruisers
- Four ships have spa cabins, which come with free access to the onboard saunas and steam room
- Nine ships have the exclusive, key-card-access, top-deck Haven suite complex, which features a private courtyard and pool; of these ships, five also have a private lounge and dining room for suite passengers
- Suite privileges include priority embarkation, debarkation and tender boarding; butler and concierge service; a suites-only breakfast location; complimentary sparkling wine, fruit and bottled water on embarkation day; and free daily canapes
Dining
Princess Cruises
- One main dining room on each ship is designated a traditional dining area (early and late seatings), while one or more other dining rooms is for the flexible Anytime Dining program (except on Pacific Princess, which only offers Traditional)
- Growing selection of alternative restaurants on most ships; some like International Cafe are included in the cruise fare, while others such as the Salty Dog Gastropub cost extra
- Partnership with Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone brings "Crafted by Curtis" menu items to the main dining room, as well as a Share by Curtis Stone restaurant on three ships
- Partnership with chocolatier Norman Love provides passengers with special chocolate desserts, drinks, tasting experiences and spa treatments
- Passengers in balcony rooms can take advantage of the for-fee Ultimate Balcony Dining, an in-room, fine-dining experience
- At least one formal night per sailing requiring passengers to dress up for dinner (or eat in the buffet where casual dress is acceptable)
Norwegian Cruise Line
- No early or late dinner seatings; instead you can eat in any of the restaurants at any time during open hours (reservations for specialty restaurants are encouraged)
- Most ships have two free alternative eateries: one Asian-style (lunch, dinner) and one pub/restaurant (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- All ships have four to six extra-fee specialty restaurants including a steak, Italian, French, Japanese hibachi, Brazilian and sushi restaurant; all but the hibachi and Brazilian eateries are priced per item
- Four ships (Norwegian Breakaway, Norwegian Getaway, Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Bliss) feature The Waterfront, an outdoor space offering alfresco seating for several of the ships' bars and restaurants
- One optional formal night on weeklong sailings
Pool Deck Fun
Princess Cruises
- Most ships have at least three pools, including a less-trafficked aft pool, and a minimum of five hot tubs; several ships also have a pool with a retractable roof
- Silly poolside games on sea days on ships sailing in the Caribbean
- Adults-only Sanctuary (some with pool) offers a quiet sun deck/pool alternative for a half-day or full-day fee
- Movie showings daily on upper sun deck as part of Movies Under the Stars
Norwegian Cruise Line
- Every ship in the fleet has at least one large pool or two smaller pools, as well as four to six hot tubs
- Kids' pool or splash pool on all ships
- Eight ships have pool and water slide combos; six of these have multi-slide Aqua Parks
- Pool decks are mostly for lounging around but on hot-weather cruises there's always some poolside fun to be had
Sports Deck Fun
Princess Cruises
- All ships have jogging tracks and shuffleboard; most also have a basketball court
- All ships have a golf area, which might have a practice cage or a nine-hole putting course
Norwegian Cruise Line
- Every ship has a basketball court; most also have golf driving nets and a handful have mini-golf
- Four ships have rock climbing walls; two of these also have a ropes course and mini-golf -- a fifth ship, Norwegian Escape, has a massive ropes course but no rock climbing wall
- Norwegian Bliss and Norwegian Joy have a two-level Go-Kart racing track, plus an outdoor laser tag course; both cost extra to use; they also have mini-golf, but no rock climbing wall or rope course
Indoor Fun
Princess Cruises
- Daily fun includes trivia, arts and crafts, bingo, dance classes and Voice of the Ocean rehearsals (a singing competition created via a partnership with TV's "The Voice")
- Destination-specific lectures and enrichment programs on itineraries in Alaska, Asia, Europe and the South Pacific
- Several ships in the fleet have a multi-deck piazza-style atrium, a hub for dining and entertainment
Norwegian Cruise Line
- Daytime indoor fun (free and for-a-fee) includes dance classes, bingo, trivia and the interactive "Deal or No Deal" show, as well as beer and wine tastings
- Select ships offer full-size or miniature bowling
- Several ships have a free circus-themed escape room experience; participants must work together to solve puzzles and "escape" within a specified time frame
- Several ships have a wall-sized Wii screen in the atrium for group Wii play
Nightlife
Princess Cruises
- Select ships feature a made-for-Princess theater show created by Oscar winner and composer of "Wicked," "Pippin" and "Godspell" Stephen Schwartz
- All ships have musical revue-style shows, as well as intermittent comedy and magic acts
- Piano and small act music shows available nightly in just about every bar and lounge
- Vines wine bar, with its sizeable list of varietals, is the spot for a late-night glass of wine or a wine-and-chocolate pairing
- All ships have a late-night dance club
Norwegian Cruise Line
- Full-length Broadway productions on five ships: Norwegian Breakaway ("Rock of Ages"), Norwegian Getaway ("Legally Blonde"), Norwegian Epic ("Priscilla Queen of the Desert"), Norwegian Escape ("After Midnight"), and Norwegian Bliss ("Jersey Boys")
- All ships offer comedy acts at least once per sailing, with four ships featuring nightly shows in a dedicated comedy club
- Every ship in the fleet features musical revue-style song-and-dance theater shows several times per sailing
- Newer ships also feature alternative wine- or cocktail-focused theater shows or dinner/theater shows, for an extra fee
- All ships have at least eight to 10 bars and lounges
Family Focus
Princess Cruises
Princess Family Cruise Reviews
- Three kids clubs for smaller kids, tweens and teens
- Kid-centric shipboard and shore excursion programs for children themed around Discovery Channel TV shows including Discovery, Animal Planet, the Learning Channel and the Science Channel
- All ships (minus Pacific Princess) have a kids' splash pool; select vessels have teen-only hot tubs
- DIY laundry rooms for easy cleaning of kids' clothing
- Select ships have two-room family suites
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Family Cruise Reviews
- Kids' programming is divided into four groups: ages 3 to 5, 6 to 9, 10 to 12, and 13 to 17
- The Guppies program on all ships offers scheduled programming for parents and their babies or toddlers, ages 6 months to 2 years; Norwegian Escape and Bliss have a Guppies Nursery where parents can drop off their babies (6 months to 2 years) for babysitting
- For-fee evening and port day group baby-sitting is available for kids ages 3 to 12
- Family accommodation options include suites, oceanview cabins, balconies and inside rooms
Tradition vs Innovation
Princess Cruises
- Provides a refined, somewhat traditional cruise experience that includes main dining rooms, limited specialty restaurants and song-and-dance revue evening shows
- Limited innovations on the newest ships include the SeaWalk, a see-through glass walkway suspended off one side of the ship 16 decks above the water
Norwegian Cruise Line
- Water parks, ropes courses, laser tag, Broadway shows and the innovative alfresco dining area, The Waterfront are among the innovations found only on the newest ships
- Two newest ships, Norwegian Bliss and Joy, have full-scale Go-Kart racetracks
- Historically, has been a line unafraid to experiment with dining, entertainment and design
